Audit support

One of the most disrupting messages for a company is the announcement of a software audit. It is a rarity that the time between the announcement and the actual audit is less than a day. Generally, your organization has time to prepare for what’s coming. Of course, you always strive for legal use of software, but that indefinable feeling that you missed something won’t leave until the moment you have received the actual outcome of the audit. And your feeling isn’t strange; it’s almost impossible to know all those rules and exceptions. Left alone that you’re able to translate these to your organisations situation.

Preventing an audit is generally not possible, why would you? You signed a contract with the software publisher. If you didn’t sign yet, then you still agreed to the terms by clicking ‘I accept’, when installing, in which the right to audit of the supplier is named.

The right audit is not to be challenged. However, the way the audit must be performed is almost never mentioned. Since the audit is on your premises, your rules and local legislation determine what is permitted or not during the audit.

Are you aware that an audit can bring you issues with privacy, data protection laws, and also bring undesired security aspects to your organisation? And commercially sensitive data on the auditors’ competitors can be revealed during the audit without your knowledge.

We have supported many organisations during audits, and ensured a safe and for both parties acceptable audit process. Surely you would like to have a risk analyses upfront -and we can help you there.

Our extensive knowledge of licensing models and their exceptions will help you to get a clear view on your compliance position. In case of deviations, you’re in the position to prevent your organisation from breaches during and at close of the audit, avoiding having to deal with the incompliance rules of each software creator. You ensure your organisation stay within legal and safe use of software and licenses, and keep the relationship with your software creator harmonious.

Any audit is in fact a costly affair. Not only for the supplier/creator, but also certainly for you. Recent research has shown that during the audit or review, on average 3 to 10 employees (depending on organisation size) spend at least 2 hours per day on information gathering and delivery. An audit will consume at least 8 weeks, but audits lasting 18 months and are no longer exceptional.

What is included in our support:

Define and document a protocol for cooperation with all involved parties